Who should wear a Personnel Flotation Devices? Everyone.

Cardinal Rules of PFDs

Testing your PFD

1. Put the PFD around your neck

2. Tie the neck straps in a bow

3. Buckle the waist belt

4. Pull the waist belt until it is snug (ideally, the PFD should be adjustable so that you can get a snug, but comfortable fit, over a range of clothing, from a T-shirt to a pile sweater to a parka or rain-coat).

5. Try some paddling motions to make sure the PFD doesn't chafe or impair your range of motion.

6. Kneel or sit, and with your arms raised over your head, ask a friend to lift the top of PFD as high as it will go. If the neck tie of the PFD goes above your chin, or if your ears and neck slip though the head opening, it’s too loose. The PFD should not move freely or slip off.